1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and more particularly to architectures of display regions having arrays of MEMS elements.
2. Description of the Related Technology
The aperture of a pixel, or any other display region, is the area of the pixel that outputs light. In general, the aperture of a pixel is reduced by row and column cuts that are used to electrically isolate rows and columns of sub-pixels, or sub-regions. These row and column cuts do not generally output light, so the cuts correspond to “dead areas” on the pixel. Accordingly, as the number of sub-regions in a pixel increases, the dead areas of the pixel also increase, thereby decreasing the aperture of the pixel. Thus, by dividing a pixel into sub-pixels to increase the resolution of the pixel, the aperture of the pixel is reduced due to these dead areas. Accordingly, improved systems and methods for increasing a resolution of a pixel with a reduced effect on the aperture of the pixel are desired.
As the number of leads connecting a pixel to the device driver increases (e.g., due to dividing the pixel into separately actuatable sub-pixels), the complexity of routing the leads also increases. In addition, as the number of leads routed to a pixel increases, the complexity of attaching the driver to the display increases, and additional drivers that handle additional leads may also be necessary. Thus, as the number of leads increases, the complexity and cost of interconnecting the leads to the pixel also increase. Accordingly, when designing a pixel, there is typically a tradeoff between the available bit depth and the cost, complexity, and aperture of the pixel.